Jorrocks' Jaunts and JollitiesSurtees, Robert Smith
General
Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities
Surtees, Robert Smith
England -- Fiction; Fox hunting -- Fiction; Hunting stories
"Dere be von beau garcon!" exclaimed the Countess, turning him round
after having led him into the middle of the room--"dat habit does fit
you like vax." "Yes," replied Mr. Jorrocks, raising his arms as though
he were going to take flight, "but it is rather tight--partiklarly round
the waist--shouldn't like to dine in it. What do you think of it?"
turning round and addressing the Yorkshireman as if nothing had
happened--"suppose you get one like it?" "Do," rejoined the Countess,
"and some of the other things--vot you call them, Colonel?"
"What--breeches?" "Yes, breeches--but the oder name--vot you call dem?"
"Oh, leathers?" replied Mr. Jorrocks. "No, no, another name still." "I
know no other. Pantaloons, perhaps, you mean?" "No, no, not pantaloons."
"Not pantaloons?--then I know of nothing else. You don't mean these
sacks of things, called trousers?" taking hold of the Yorkshireman's.
"No, no, not trousers." "Then really, my lady, I don't know any other
name." "Oh, yes, Colonel, you know the things I intend. Vot is it you
call Davil in Angleterre?" "Oh, we have lots of names for him--Old Nick,
for instance."--"Old Nick breeches," said the Countess thoughtfully;
"no, dat sall not be it--vot else?" "Old Harry?" replied Mr.
Jorrocks.--"Old Harry breeches," repeated the Countess in the hopes of
catching the name by the ear--"no, nor dat either, encore anoder name,
Colonel." "Old Scratch, then?" "Old Scratch breeches," re-echoed the
Countess--"no, dat shall not do."--"Beelzebub?" rejoined Mr. Jorrocks.
"Beelzebub breeches," repeated the Countess--"nor dat." "Satan, then?"
said Mr. Jorrocks. "Oh oui!" responded the Countess with delight,
"satan! black satan breeches--you shall von pair of black satan
breeches, like the Colonel."
"And the Colonel will pay for them, I presume?" said the Yorkshireman,
looking at Mr. Jorrocks.
"I carn't," said Mr. Jorrocks in an undertone; "I'm nearly cleaned out,
and shall be in Short's Gardens before I know where I am, unless I hold
better cards this evening than I've done yet. Somehow or other, these
French are rather too sharp for me, and I've been down upon my luck ever
since I came.--Lose every night, in fact, and then they are so werry
anxious for me to have my rewenge, as they call it, that they make
parties expressly for me every evening; but, instead of getting my
rewenge, I only lose more and more money.--They seem to me always to
turn up the king whenever they want him.--To-night we are going to a
Countess's of werry great consequence, and, as you know ecarte well,
I'll back your play, and, perhaps, we may do something between us."
This being all arranged, Mr. Stubbs took his departure, and Mr. Jorrocks
having girded on his sword, and the Countess having made her morning
toilette, they proceed to their daily promenade in the Tuileries
Gardens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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